Photoelectrically controlled apparatus for grading pears according to length



2,433,946 FOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 M. B. GAUSE ETAL PHOTOELECTRICALLYCONTROLLED APPARATUS GRADING FEARS ACCORDING TO LENGTH Filed 001.. 27,1942 Jan. 6, 1948.

an Q M n1 Ta 1. v wk Jan. 6, 1948. M, GAUSE ETAL, 2,433,946,PHOTOELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR Y GRADING PEARS ACCORDING TOLENGTH Filed Oct. 27, 1942' s Sheets-Sheet 2 1.: 12 V Q W G By M Jan. 61948. M. B. GAUSE ET AL PHOTOELECTRICALLY GONTROLLED APPARATUS FORGRADING FEARS ACCORDING TO LENGTH Filed Oct. 27, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet sPatented Jan. 6, 1948 PHO'IOELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED AP- PARATUS FORGRADING PEARS ACCORD- ING TO LENGTH Marvin B. Gause. Yakima, and EathelO. Burllng, asslgnors to California Packing Corporation, San Francisco,Cali!.,a corporation of New York Application October 27, 1942, SerialNo. 463,524

Vancouver, Wash,

1 Claim. (Cl. 209-82) This invention relates to apparatus for gradingfruit, and is more particularly related to apparatus for grading fruit,such as pears, in accordance with their length.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for gradingfruit, vegetables, such as pears and the like, in accordance with theirlength. a

Another object of this invention is to provide a grader in which fruitor vegetables is caused to travel in a predetermined position, in singlefile through a selecting medium wherein the length of said object actsto disrupt light beams when such objects exceed a predetermined length,whereby such objects may be diverted from the Path.

Another object of this invention is to provide a grader adapted to gradefruit or vegetables of a perishable nature in accordance with theirlength and wherein means are provided for segregating fruit or gradingthe same which is of large capacity, and also provides for the handingof such fruit or vegetables in order to avoid damage thereto.

Other obiects and advantages of this invene tion it is believed will beapparent from the following detailed description of a. preferredembodiment thereof as illustrated in the accom panying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a grader embodying our invention, 1

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental elevation of th selector controlmeans embodied in our invention.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the structure as illustrated in Figure 3.V

Figure 5 is a wiring diagram.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional end view of the conveyor and guidemeans embodied in our invention.

Our invention as herein set forth is particularly applicable for thegrading of fruits or vegetables where sections of such fruits orvegetables are of different diameter and for grading such fruits orvegetables in accordance with their length. As illustrative of suchgrading, we have chosen to describe our invention as the same isparticularly adapted for the grading of bears in accordance with thelength of the individual pear.

In the apparatus embodying our invention as illustrated in the drawings,we have found that in the grading of articles such as fruit orvegetables with reference to their length that it is V particularlyadvisable to provide a means operable in accordance with the length ofsuch articles and which means employs as a reference the longitudinalaxis of such articles. In the case of pears and similar articles, it isparticularly important as the said fruit is of different diameter at itsdiil'erent ends and as ordinarily supported, the axis of such a fruitwill therefore be inclined with reference to the support. We have alsofound that in the grading of such fruit it is essential to insure thatthe fruit is all positioned prior to the grading thereof with one endforemost, for example, in pears the calyx end, so that the selectingmeans operating with reference to the longitudinal axis of such a pearmay be set to approximate the inclination of the axis of such articleupon its support.

As our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, theapparatus includes the frame I upon which there is supported a pair ofcontinuous endless conveyors 2 and 3, The pears to be graded are fedonto the grading conveyer 2 from a feed 4 which maybe the discharge of asucceeding grader, for example, a grader commonly used in this art forgrading pears in accordance with the diameterof their largest section.The grader conveyer 2 is formed with a pair of guide flanges 5 forming achannel for the conveyer 2. Within the channel thus formed there aremounted convex guide rails 6 having a convex half round shoulder I whichlies immediately over the surface provided by the conveyer 2. Asillustrated, the conveyer 2 has a concave surface 8. The conveyer 2 issupported upon a base board 9 which is secured to the frame I. Theconveyer 2 is caused to travel at such speed as will insure that all ofthe pears received thereon turn in conjunction with the convex shoulders1 to a position where their calyx end are foremost on the conveyer. Thisspeed we have found to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 3'72 feet perminute more or less, depending upon the size and type of pears beinggraded.

The pears upon the conveyor 2 travel into the path thus defined throughtwo spaced light beams l0 and II, produced from two separate lightsources l2 and IS.

The two light sources l2 and I3 direct the light beams l0 and ii into aphotoelectric tube It which is operative on a quantitative light basis,that is, the photoelectric tube is sensitive to the quantity of lightthereby completing an electric circuit as will hereinafter be describedwhen the quantity of light which it is adjusted to receive isdimensioned beyond a predetermined point. In

terrupted. Thus by proper spacing of the light I by adjustment of thelight beams I and the length of the pear required sources l2 and I v tointercept both light beams may be determined.

The photoelectric tube I4 is so adjusted in the circuit with the lampsI2 and I9 that interruption of only one of the light beams will notcause the photoelectric tube It to operate to actuate the relay circuitin which it is mounted. The circuit in which the photoelectric tube IIand light sources I2 and I3 are mounted is indicated in Figure 5 whereinit is illustrated that the supply of light to the photoelectric tube Iif sufficiently interrupted a relay I5 will close, closing the circuitleading to the electromagnet I 9.

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the electromagnet It has its armatureI1 connected by a link I8 with the crank arm I9 of the shear gate 20.The gate 20 is normally held in closed position'by means of a spring 2iholding the armature I! in position to operate through the link I8 toswing the shear gate 20 on its pivot 22 to its open position over theconveyer 2. when the light source to the photoelectric tube I4 isinterrupted by interruption of both of the light beams I2 and i9, theaforesaid relays are closed, energizing the electromagnet I8 and causingthe shear gate 20 to swing across the conveyer 2, causing the long pearto be discharged over the discharge bore 23 onto the grader conveyer 3.

In order to permit the operation of our grader of pears of differentsizes or lengths and to thereby provide for adjustment of the spacingand positioning of the beams I 0 and I l, the light sources I2 and I3which may be of any suitable or desirable form are adiustably mounted sothat they may be moved either to intensify the light directed into thephotoelectric tube I4 or to vary or change their vertical relationshipover the conveyer 2. Thus each of the light sources I2 and I3 is mountedin housings 2i and 25. The housings are supported on pins 26 and 21mounted in slots 28 formed in the supporting plates 29 which permitsadjustment to 'move the housings to or away from each other.

The plates 29 are in turn secured to brackets 39 and the brackets 39 aresupported on a base plate 3| by means of pins 32 which pass in slots 33formed in the base plate 3|. This permits of rel atige verticaladjustment-of the light beams I0 and I I over the conveyer 2 so that thelight beams may be adjusted to the anguiarity oi the longitudinal axisof the pears to be graded in accordance with the inclination of suchpears as is caused by their lying upon the conveyer 2 with theircalyxend foremost.

We have found that it is particularly advisable in grading such fruit aspears to adjust the light beams I0 and II as closely as possible to theiongitudinal axis of such fruit in order to insure accurate grading asto length of the fruit.

Having fully described our invention, it is to be understood thatwe donot wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but ourinvention is of the full scope of the appended claim.

We claim: In an apparatus for grading pears asto lengt which includes, aconveyer of the continuously moving type, the conveyer having atransversely concave pear supporting surface. side flanges for theconveyer having convex shoulders extending above the conveyer surfacewhereby the pears moved with said conveyer will be positioned with theirlarge ends foremost, a pair of light sources spaced apart and positionedto direct spaced light beams over the conveyer at an angle approximatingthe angle of the longitudinal axis of the pears positioned on theconveyer, a discharge gate, a

photoelectric cell having a light tube into which the light beams aredirected, means operatively connecting the photoelectric cell and thegate whereby a pear of an axial length sufficient to intercept bothlight beams causes said cell to actuate the gate to a position over theconveyer to discharge the said long pear therefrom.

MARVIN B. GAUSE. EATHEL O. BURLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,033,645 Parkhill Mar. 10, 19361,857,815 Lafferty May 10, 1932 1,259,905 Phelps Mar. 19, 1918 1,921,863Bickley Aug. 8, 1933 1,649,304. Gray Nov. 15, 1927 2,280,948 GulliksenApr. 28, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Y Date 790,265 France Sept.2, 1935

